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It's been a while since the last entry where I rambled on about the minor details but now for the all important part how does this actually drive. I've done over 5000 Km's now and I guess spend enough time with the car to give my honest feedback on how it handles etc.
I'm not going to dwell on the statistics and figures since that is readily available on the internet - but for formalities sake the Civic comes with the P10A2 engine - Honda's 3 cylinder turbo charged engine which has somewhere between 125-130 BHP.
So the overall driving experience ? Well it's adequate and after the break-in period it seems the car is actually quite eager than it was initially. There is a bit of turbo lag and coupled with the torque at low revs you feel a bit like driving a diesel ....no complaints though.
A question I usually get from some people is whether this model comes with the much maligned DCT - well surprise surprise it does not. Honda have mated the P10A2 with a CVT. Of course there is always the manual and that is actually supposed to be great as per reviews from the UK - but considering I use this car to drive daily to and from work in the colombo traffic I had to be a masochist to opt for a manual (which I'm not - and god bless future me when I try to sell a manual in Sri Lanka ) . Those who have driven the GP5's and Graces know that the Dual clutch set up is actually a blast to drive - which is not the case with the CVT. My previous car also had a CVT gear box and frankly I'm not a fan of them at all. But then given how DCT's fared locally I guess having a rubbery CVT over a DCT setup is not a huge deal.
All grades of the FK6 comes with paddle-shifters - now I know it's a bit funny to see paddle shifters and CVT in the same sentence but what the setup actually does is have more of a simulated shifting mechanism going when you use them. When you're in normal 'Drive' mode you can use the shifters to change gears but the car is too eager to override you and kind of spoils the fun. However if you change your gear to 'S' then the HUD will display an 'M' indicating that the car is ready to receive manual input and a blinking indicator also indicates when the time is right to shift up. Of course if you don't shift at the right moment the car will give you some time and after a while will override you. S mode, and the 7-Speed CVT with the shifters is a little fun time to time but I think it's there more as a gimmick to be perfectly honest. I will upload a video on this later on and update the entry.
There is an ECO mode which can be enabled/disabled by a switch on the gear shifter console. Turning off the Eco mode will give you a more fun driving experience as the car is much more peppier. For more fun on an open road shift to S and use the shifters.
I use the E03 expressway daily and that's where this car really feels home at. I mentioned the low end torque - around 2250 RPM there is a sweet spot and you can feel that pull. Due to it's dynamics the car feels very well planted and very stable at high speeds. You just feel the car hugging the road and hurtling forward - which is a really nice feeling. The handling is quite good -the steering is a little lifeless but adequately sharp and the ride is very controlled. I drive an SR which does not have the adaptive damper system found on the EX.
The ride is generally smooth even with some potholes - though I cannot give any feedback about the rear since I've never actually traveled in the back seat.
Road noise is something I've always associated with Honda's and once again this is no exception though the road noise insulation is comparatively better than that of smaller cars like the Fit. But it does a good job of cutting out the racket from that noisy 3 pot engine - which believe me is quite loud and rough when you actually open the hood and take a look. But inside the car it's generally quiet.
To sum it up ... Cars with downsized engines for the sake of reducing emissions and improving gas-mileage are not meant to be fast performance cars in the first place. But Honda have tried to give the driver a bit of feel-good factor with the fake air vents and the paddle shifters and the overall 'sporty' feel. I wish it didn't have the CVT gear box and the steering was a little less lighter. But the noisy little 3 pot engine pulls really well given it's size and the weight of the car. The 1L Turbo Civic is no Type R but for a bird with clipped wings it flies pretty well.
And now for the FAQ Section
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[1] "Nice car bro how does it do on fuel ? " :
I drive in generally bad traffic I wouldn't claim it to be the worst since I don't travel to areas like Rajagiriya/Dehiwala etc. And the car returns around 7-8 KMPL. On general I get about 10 KMPL in a 50-50 City/Suburban drive. On the Expressway I get around 6L/100Km which means about 16.6 KMPL. On the average long distance drive on non expressways depending on the time of the day the car will do between 12-16 KMPL.
[2] "The car is a bit low isn't it? " :
One fear I had earlier about the car before purchase is it's low ground clearance - somehow I have found it to be ok so far. I recently traveled on one of the most horrible roads I have seen in the western province - it was a tiny impossibly narrow dirt road with immense pot holes and pieces of rock jutting out leading to an almost forgotten home for the senior citizens where we had to give dinner. It was a hellish drive in pitch darkness but somehow i got through without a single scrape. For a better understanding I will try to upload some daytime pics of the said road.
[3] "Aren't the back seats a bit cramped?"
Leg-space wise no. There's quite a lot of leg space . The thing is due to the curved shape of the roof some may feel that head-space is a bit lacking. The only person to complain so far was my 6'3" /125Kg cousin. So unless you're some behemoth you are OK. Having said that I must say the Civic is a little too driver oriented with a lot of care given to the driver and lesser focus to the passengers: for instance the seat height adjustment is not available for the front passenger. It's a little darker in the back too.

You are choosing ONE car -it could be a 27-year old japanese car, 8-year old indian car, 15-year old European car or whatnot.
What you should be worried about, is that specific car. Not whether it is Japanese or Indian or Andromedian.
Keep your options open. Assess a few cars and buy the one that would be in the best condition. Don't worry whether it is Japanese or Indian or Andromedian.
However, in my experience, Ford Lasers hold on to their build quality far better than most other cars, even after they age. One reason could be because your average penny-pinching gamey goday person goes for Toyotas most of the time.

@alpha17 @Davy I added a new sub forum under Autolanka Forums as BLOGS and redirected to blog section. It should redirect forum users to blog section. Further I will also try to create a new section for AL blog posts in the AL home page.
Cheers!

Restoration work began. The idea is to work at home. Found a person to do the tinker work. I do the mechanical work and hoping to do the paint job as well in the future. Firstly removed the interior parts such as car seats. After that, the four doors were removed. Then front and back wings, bonnet & boot. Finally the differential and the engine were removed.

The car was exposed to the sunlight & rain for a long time. So there was corrosion on almost all body panels and floorboard too. Cleaned the plug wires, filled the tank, connected a charged battery and attempt to start it. After several attempt it started. The destination (my home) was 120 km and we started the journey around 11.00 am. As I was aware cars condition, selected rural roads. Brakes were very weak. So could not exceed 30kmh. During the trip had to replace a tire and the fan belt. Finally reached to the destination around 9.00 pm. Here are some initial condition pictures.
Special thanks should go to @Davy for encouraging me to write this in a discussion.

How badly scratched is it ? Are you sure it can't get taken off by polishing ?
What is the color ? Can't you just pant the effected regions ? (eg. door, fender, bumper, etc...as opposed to the entire car)
For a full body paint job, with 100K you might be able to pull off a decent job (not the best) at a reputed garage. Again, depends on the color too...and the amount of tinkering that needs to be done.
There will be plenty of garages who will jump and say it can be done for half, or even less, of your budget. My experience with these places have been that they use substandard paints and fillers and really careless painting (so there will be over spray all over the place, etc..). The car will look nice and shiny for a short time and then it starts to look really bad as the putty starts drying up and the paint starts flaking.
My advice is...go to a decent garage...(there are quite a few if you search the forums or the usual Automotive FB groups). Go get a quote. Talk to them and see if there are any alternatives than doing a full body paint. Then work from there....

1. Buy a car that looks like its below its market price (for 3-mil, maybe a wagon R, Spacia, alto or something like that). The important thing is you need to buy LOW! So you need to find a car which a owner is looking to sell in a hurry, but at the time, you need to make sure its not a dressed up car. If you pay CASH, people are willing to give a serious thought of reducing the price.
2. Advertise it in AL, ###### etc. slightly above the market price, with the hope of selling it for the market price.
Skills you need for this:
1. You need to have an 'eye' on finding a cheap car. You may need to scour the internet endlessly to find one. If a vehicle is 50k below market price, buy-and-sell guys will be flocking it like crows. So the moment you see one, you need to get there asap
2. You need to be good at negotiating with the seller. You need to be persuasive but not be a pain in the ass.
Selling part is easy. Buying a good car for cheap is tough.
And if you expected that this is an easy business, you are better off selling kadala in galle face. FYI, the profit margins of kadala sellers in galle face are over 500%

Hi,
First, adjust the temp controller to min. you're currently driving with the heater slightly on. ! the frequent turning on of the compressor may be due to previous owner reducing the cooling to save fuel. ever considered a light window tint?
Yes the a/c system puts a noticeable strain on the engine,,. switch off when you need extra power. and wash the condenser when your washing the car to maintain cooling efficiency. make sure the cooling fan freely runs with the a/c on. |behind the rad
And keep the interior re-circulation fully on,..
p.s. add a pic of the a/c control panel/,.

18.5 to buy a 6 on a permit eh? Phew- if that's the case I'd put my money down on a used 2016 6. They go for around 8.5 mil or so. Get the 2.5 litre one- has a lot more oomph than the 2.0 litre ones and a lot more toys and it has a better looking front grille. Most of these cars must still be maintained at Colonial so you could always get it checked there.

When selling a vehicle, the buyer and seller both have responsibilities.
The seller has the responsibility of filling four forms of MTA-6, handing over two copies to the buyer, sending one copy to RMV and keeping one copy for records. If this is not done within 14 days, the seller can be liable for a fine
The buyer has to fill MTA-8 form and submit the two MTA-6 forms recieved from the seller.
The accountability is on the seller. If the seller does not follow the process and if the buyer uses the vehicle to commit a crime, the seller may also be an initial suspect for it.
There have been instances, where rapes, murders and drug trafficking have been committed using vehicles under open papers. In all such cases, the guy who sold the car on open papers have got in to deep sh*t, including getting arrested and being remanded for 14 days. If in doubt, ask the nearest police station.

Take ages to service the car, I generally give in the morning and pick up in the evening,
Prices are reasonable, they require oil change every 5000 km / 6 months although book says 10000km / 1 year
Accident repairs are costly make sure you have good insurance.

This is wrong. What A*W sells is a rebadged version of WagonR FZ.
I too was in the same boat as you few months back. Ultimately made the decision to go with the agent imported WagonR.
I would like to give my exeperiance in case you opt to go for a WagonR.
WagonR is a fast moving car or as our mudalils say "sata gala yanawane, market badune".
Therefore you will come across all kinds of shady units dressed up for sale. I have seen a car with only 100km in the odo but has almost 20+hours in idle stop timer🤔 (most probably the guy who reset the odo forgot to reset this timer😆).
But the one that shocked me most is an unit which was bought by a very close friend of mine from a popular place. It seemed like a proper little car until I stepped on the foot break (hand break)
When you press down on WagonR foot break you hear Tak Tak (wheel locking sound) sound which I think is a mechanism designed to keep the paddle from coming up. This is very audible and you could almost feel the tactile feedback when pressing down. But in my friend's car which was sold to him as a brand-new car had no tactile feel and the Tak sound is alomst non existent. You could hear it but it's day and night compared to mine. Think of how many successive operations this particular mechanism had to undergo. And it was a so called zero milage Brand new car. So if you decide to go with WagonR consider this.

We are currently running both cars brought brand new from agents.
As iRage mentioned they are two different cars
Kia has a more bigger feel than the size suggest, rides, handles much better. Comfortable and very predictable handling you can throw the car around corners without any drama. Very stable at high speed. Only down side is since the car has very good dynamics you tend to drive fast and as a result fuel economy suffers expect 10kmpl city 15kmpl urban.
If you go for the highest grade you will get 2 air bags and ABS, no climate control so a/c will be a pain to control
Wagon R has more space inside due to its shape and boot and rear seat space and be adjusted which is a plus. Engine is a pain if you want to drive little spiritedly and very loud (little wheezy brat). Not stable after 80kmph, can get caught in cross winds.
Will do 14kmpl city 18-20 kmpl urban
2 air bags, ABS, stability control (must in this due to awful handling)
To sum it up I love the Kia, my wife and kids the WagonR

When you say Wagon R brand new I hope you are planning on buying it from the agent A*W (what they call WagonR Premium Hybrid). The zero mileage Japanese imports with warranty sold by the car sales people cannot be trusted.
Although both cars look like small hatchbacks they fall in to two different categories. The Picanto is a compact hatchback whilst the Wagon R is a kei-car which is pretty much the smallest city car that has restricted power and engine capacity (by law).
Personally for family usage I believe the Picanto will be a better choice. The shape of the body might make it seem like the Wagon R has no space but the Picanto is a tad bit bigger in terms of dimensions (the Wagon R really does not have much space for luggage with the rear passengers. The Picanto on the other hand does have sufficient space for luggage larger than a few grocey and duffle bags even with the rear seat up). The Picanto is heavier than the Wagon R...so on long trips you will feel less road fatigue on the bodies (human bodies). Yes the Wagon R is a comfy car but for city usage...long drives you do feel the road vibe.
On the other hand, the Wagon R will be quite economical on petrol, especially in the city (being Hybrid). The electric motor will give you a lot of oomph from start...BUT it will be high revving at high speeds which also adds to the strain the body feels on long trips. Unlike the old model the new Wagon R does a lot better on pulling up hills and stuff with a load. The WagonR (atleast the Japanese version) comes a bit more well equipped in safety features.
If you are going to be driving in the city 90% of the time..then go or the Wagon R but look in to renting a car for long family trips (I know some people who do that and this method is not that expensive). If you want to have a single overall car....then go for the Picanto

This must be a euro spec one. Made in India but imported to Sri lanka from UK. It has a driver airbag but no ABS. That might be a false claim.
Engine is from indian wagon r, which is not a very popular model, so you might face some issues with engine spares.

Hello and welcome to the forum!
Both of these cars are good in fuel economy and reliability. Viva elite is the malaysian counterpart of Daihatsu Mira so the car is almost the same. I know few owners and no one complained any fault about the Viva. For the price you pay you’ll be getting a 2004-2005 Passo and 2011-2012 Viva Elite. Passo will be a bit comfortable than the Viva. Passo will give you more running repairs due to the age and you’ll find most of them hacked to death. So IMO Viva Elite is the best bet when it comes to fuel economy and reliability. It’s just an average car with nothing to complain about.Good luck!

Please don't open a thread for each question... there's already a thread you created for the same car. @Davy can you please delete this thread since the question is also quite a useless one.
@Praveen_Auto color preference is subjective. just buy a color you like...I don't get why Sri Lankans are obsessed with the next buyers tastes than his own 😐

I understand what you mean. The blogs section feels like it lacks engagement between the original poster and responses as it's a separate section from the forums. Thanks for the feedback.
@MADZ what can we do about this? Maybe the Forums home page can have a blogs section alongside "General Automotive", "DIY" etc?